One down, one to go for FFP
The so-called Illuminati case is now behind the Future Forward Party (FFP) after the Constitutional Court this week cleared the party of charges that it had attempted to undermine the constitutional monarchy.
FFP supporters who followed the ruling at the party headquarters on the eighth floor of the Thai Summit Building erupted in cheers after the court finished reading out its decision in less than 15 minutes last Tuesday.
However, the party and its supporters do not have much time to celebrate; a potentially explosive case involving a multi-million-baht loan from FFP leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is still pending at the court.
The party has until Monday to submit its clarification to the Constitutional Court. The deadline has already been extended
once since the case was accepted on Dec 25 last year.
The Election Commission (EC) has asked the court to consider dissolving the FFP for allegedly violating the organic law on political parties by accepting a 191.2-million-baht loan from Mr Thanathorn to finance its election campaign.
According to sources close to the case, the loan is considered to be “illegitimate” under the law which does not recognise loans as an allowable financial source and sets restrictions on how parties can finance their activities. The legislation also prohibits parties and their executives from accepting cash donations, assets or other benefits when they know or suspect the money comes from an illegitimate source.
According to political observers, fighting this case will not be a walk in the park for the FFP and if the court rules against the party, its leader and executives may be slapped with a political ban.
In its defence, the FFP has maintained the loan is legitimate and called on the Constitutional Court to hold an inquiry so the party can present its side of the story.
“We believe we are innocent because the law does not forbid us from borrowing money. Loans are not income. We have repaid some of the money, which we used for political, not business, activities,” FFP secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul was quoted as saying.
The party has also accused the EC of abusing its authority by rushing to submit their investigation summaries to the Constitutional Court and leaving the party without enough time to present sufficient evidence to counter the accusations.
Mr Piyabutr is also reported to have evidence to prove that the EC has gone to great lengths to set in motion a dissolution case against the party.
According to Mr Piyabutr, after the first EC sub-panel appointed to investigate the loan case found there was nothing wrong with the transaction, instead of dropping the case, the EC set up two more sub-committees to look into the loan. Both sub-panels eventually found faults against the party.
With two sub-panels finding grounds to the party’s alleged wrongdoing, the EC has decided to seek the Constitution Court’s review, according to the FFP’s secretary-general.
The EC, however, has shrugged off the FFP’s claim, insisting it has acted within the scope of the law.